May 19, 2005 - As a special treat to IGN readers for the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Rockstar Games has exclusively revealed the first details regarding Bully, it's October-bound actioner from Rockstar Vancouver. In secret development for quite some time now, Bully takes Rockstar's tradition of groundbreaking gameplay and tongue in cheek storytelling to an entirely new setting: the schoolyard.
The game is an exaggerated and humorous look at life in a private school that Rockstar stresses is completely different than anything else it has done. "We are really excited about the first title to be developed by our Rockstar Vancouver studio," said Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games. "We fought hard to keep this title under wraps for ages and I am thrilled that we can finally unveil it to people at E3."
For the unfamiliar, Rockstar Vancouver used to be known as "Barking Dog Studios," a Canadian development team that was responsible for such games as Global Operations, Homeworld: Cataclysm, Treasure Planet, and TransWorld Skateboarding.
Mixing drama and comedy into a single story, Bully follows a schoolboy named Jimmy Hopkins and his adventures in the fictitional "Bullworth Academy." Corrupt from the inside out, the school is overflowing with crooked higher-ups, wicked schoolmates, and a whole mess of bothersome bullies. Throughout this escapade, Jimmy will have to stand up to cruel classmates, pursue a love interest, put up with teachers that pick on him, and play pranks on a mess of annoying little buggers from all over the campus.
Gameplay details are a still being kept a mystery for its big reveal at a later time, but we do know that its progression will be open-ended in nature. Due out for both the Xbox and PlayStation 2 this fall, Bully should be making its name rather soon. Click on the media page below for the first screenshot and check back with us for more as it breaks.
